Christmas Time
by simply woven
Summary: The Lopez-Weaver family Christmas...Season 12.
1. Christmas Eve

A story about Weaver, Sandy and Henry, that takes place around Christmas time in season twelve. I had to pick and choose my own happenings from the actual season so it could at least be a bit relevant, but it's alternate universe as well in the sense that 1.) Sandy is still alive 2.) the timing of events is a bit off (i.e. Christmas, Henry's age, and Kerry's surgery all coinciding). Hope you enjoy it and happy holidays :)

Disclaimer: don't own any of them

Spoilers: season twelve

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**Christmas Time**

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"… and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse…" It was Christmas Eve and Kerry sat on the couch with her family in the dimly lit living room, reading the pages of the classic holiday tale that were illuminated only by the bright white lights of the Christmas tree to their three year old son, Henry. It was late; nevertheless Henry certainly wasn't tired.

"Mommy," he began when she finished the story "let's play! No more reading." He said, his large, chocolate brown eyes opening wide as a smile stretched across his face. Checking the clock hanging on the wall that read eight thirty, Kerry answered,

"Buddy, I don't think so. We'll play tomorrow morning, I promise. But right now, you've got to go to bed." She answered, sitting up straight from her prior lounging position on the couch.

"Momma, can we play?" He asked, attempting to play one against the other, turning to Sandy who sat on the other side of him.

"Nope, Mommy's right mijo, Santa won't come if you aren't asleep. And you want Santa to come, don't-cha?" She said to him, pushing herself off the couch.

"Yeah, because Santa brings toys, right?" He asked, sliding off the couch as well.

"Only to good chicos who do what their mothers tell them too," Sandy teased him, "so give mommy a kiss and let's go get you ready to sleep, yeah?"

Henry turned back to Kerry who opened her arms to give him a hug, "Goodnight, sweetie, I love you." She said, planting a kiss on his forehead.

"'Night mommy, love you too." He answered, engulfed in her hug, before following Sandy to the bathroom.

Once Sandy had gotten Henry settled in bed, she and Kerry placed all of his wrapped presents under the tree, then resided to the kitchen. Grabbing two glasses from the cabinet over the kitchen counter, Sandy poured red wine into one and filled the other with ice water. Sandy handed the one filled with wine to Kerry as they headed back into the living room where they sat on the couch.

"So, what time you think he'll wake up?" Sandy asked, leaning into Kerry.

"God, I'm willing to bet he'll be jumping into our bed before six." Kerry answered, sipping her wine.

"Eh, let him enjoy it I guess…he was adorable when I put him to bed: after I tucked him in, he sat back up and put his head to my stomach and said goodnight to the baby." Sandy said, subconsciously resting her hand on her nearly nine-month pregnant belly.

"He's going to be a great big brother, Sandy…" Kerry said, "I still can't believe she's going to be here so soon." She added.

"Ha, I can. This little chica isn't all too gentle on my bladder." Sandy added dryly, though it was clear to Kerry she was kidding.

"Have you thought any more about which names you like?" Kerry asked. She herself had a few picked out and had suggested them to Sandy, who wasn't exactly the most decisive person.

"...I think I like Raquel and Sofia. Those were on your list, right?" Sandy asks. Kerry smiles,

"Those were at the top of my list, actually…any middle names?"

"I was thinking Lillian…after your mom?" At that, Kerry's smile grew larger.

"That's prefect." She answered simply.

They continued talking for a while, mostly about the Henry and the baby, before deciding to go to bed. Still walking cautiosly with her crutch since her replacement surgery, Kerry went around the house, locking the front door, turning off lights and blowing out candles while Sandy placed their now-empty glasses in the dish washer.

After getting ready, Kerry quietly made her way to Henry's room before going to bed. She slowly opened the door and leaned against the frame, looking in on her sleeping son as she often would when he was a baby. She was thrilled about being able to do that again, becoming a mother to an infant. She and Sandy had agreed, upon having Henry, that they'd have more children; after that, it was only a matter of actually conceiving. They decided, however, to wait a few years; they wanted to give Henry a few years to himself. On the first try, when Henry was just over two years old, they were successful and soon learned they were expecting a little girl. Now, nearly nine months later, Kerry's mind was gladly fluttering with the fact that she'd again be a mother to a newborn. Turning around, she left Henry's bedroom and headed to her own. Once there, she saw that Sandy was already fast asleep in bed. Taking out her earrings and taking off her glasses, she set them on her bedside table, leaned her crutch against the wall, and settled herself in bed. After gently kissing Sandy's cheek, she turned on her back and closed her eyes. Knowing that she'd be subjected to a very early wake up call the coming morning, she soon fell asleep as well.


	2. Wake Up Call

Short filler...just wanted to add some solitary Sandy and Henry time before moving along to Christmas morning.

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"Mommy! Momma! Wake up! It's Christmas!" Henry succeeded in waking only one of his mothers in a very rough manner Christmas morning. He knew better than to jump up onto their bed on Kerry's side, forsake of her hip, and had recently found it impossible to climb over Sandy, leaving him no option but to climb up from the foot of the bed. Kneeling in-between them after he had climbed up, Henry waited for a response.

Opening her eyes, Sandy saw their bright eyed son grinning from ear to ear. Looking past him, she saw Kerry, who sleeps heavily unlike herslef, laying with her eyes shut, obviously still sleeping. Looking even further to the left, she saw the digital clock on Kerry's bedside table that read four forty five A.M.

"Mijo, it's way too early for presents…the sun isn't even up. How about you snuggle with us for a little bit longer, then we can go ahead and get up?" Sandy asked, hoping he'd allow them to get at least a little more sleep.

"Okay…" Henry answered, sounding a little disappointed. Sandy gently pulled down the covers and patted the empty spot in-between she and Kerry.

"Be careful of mommy's hip, Henry…" she warned softly as he wiggled his way deep into the sheets. Pushing her pillow so it was under his head as well, she tucked him in then let herself get comfortable again. She dozed off easily, knowing that it wouldn't be long before her next wake up call.


	3. Is The Sun Awake?

I'm having so much fun writing this...I wish Sandy hadn't died!

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Kerry awoke to small fingers digging into her arm.

"Mommy…momma said I had to wait until the sun woke up to open presents...is the sun awake?" Henry whispered into Kerry's ear. Turning her head towards the voice, Kerry opened her eyes and saw her son's large, russet eyes staring back at her. Turning her head back towards her bedside table, she grabbed her glasses and checked the clock; seven twenty three.

"If you can wake momma up then we can do presents…" She answered, realizing Henry had been told to wait by Sandy earlier in the morning.

Kerry gently turned herself into a sitting position and grabbed her crutch to stand up while Henry relentlessly poked his mother to wake up.

"Momma, the sun is awake now! Mommy said if you wake up we can go open presents!" Henry whispered stridently into Sandy's face. Opening her eyes, Sandy playfully shot Kerry a nasty look.

"Okay, okay mijo, I'm up!" Sandy said, as she pulled herself out of bed.

After Henry woke Sandy up, the three headed out into the living room. Looking down at her son, Kerry saw that Henry's eyes had grown enormous at the sight of the amount of colorfully wrapped presents under the Christmas tree.

"Mommy, are all those for me?!" Henry asked, obviously excited to get to opening them up.

"Mhm…" she answered through a yawn, "Santa must have thought we were a very good boy this year;" as she left Sandy and Henry in the living room to go to the kitchen to start some coffee for herself, "Sandy? Want something?" she asked her wife who had just sat herself down on the couch.

"Um…some orange juice, please." Sandy answered.

Kerry poured Sandy's orange juice and brought it to her, before returning to the kitchen to get her own coffee. Finally back in the living room, Kerry found a very impatient Henry kneeling by the tree; evidently waiting for her to get back so he could begin opening his presents.

"Alright mijo, get at it." Sandy said as Kerry sat down next to her.

Henry ripped through his presents in record time; after about twenty minutes after first beginning, their living room was covered in shreds of wrapping paper. After cleaning it all up, an interesting experience within itself, Kerry and Sandy settled back onto the couch as Henry played with his multiple new toys.

"What time did he first come in? I didn't even feel him get in bed…" Kerry asked, surprised that their less-than-graceful, energetic son had been so docile.

"Lucky you," Sandy started with a slight laugh, "around quarter of five. I figured any extra sleep he'd let us get would be a Christmas present itself, so I told him he could stay in bed with us."

"Ah, well…it's good he fell back asleep; I don't think he'd be a very happy camper later on at your family's party if he hadn't. So, how's our little girl doing this morning? Did she let you get any sleep?" Kerry asked, directing her attention towards Sandy's belly.

"She was fine until about twelve, that's when she decided to use my bladder as a punching bag. Must've worn her out, though, she's been chillin' ever since." Sandy finished just in time for Henry to pipe up,

"Mommy, Momma, can you play with me?" He asked, standing at the edge of the couch. Looking at one another, Sandy and Kerry silently discussed who would be the one to play with him. After what must have been an agonizing sixty seconds for Henry, Kerry responded,

"How about some breakfast first, and we can play later?" She asked, pulling herself off the couch. She knew that neither one of them were quite up to sitting on the floor to play, and figured this would be a good alternative, even though standing for an extended amount of time wasn't all that comfortable either.

"Okay!" Henry asked, following at Kerry and Sandy's feet as they walked out of the living room.

"You want to help me?" Kerry asked, knowing that her son enjoyed cooking like her just as much as he enjoyed eating like Sandy.

Eagerly, he agreed and they went into the kitchen to begin preparing breakfast while Sandy showered.

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Chapter 4 soon!


	4. Breakfast First, Play Later

A bit weak, lol, just a chapter to get it moving along! It's a bit hip-centric as well, lol. I don't know why, but I can't seem to venture away from that arc!

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"Henry, can you do mommy a favor?" Kerry asked, standing at the kitchen island. She knew he was a bit too young to actually cook, but he was eager to do little jobs.

"Sure!" He said enthusiastically.

"Alright…can you go to the bathroom and ask momma to give you the bottle of vicodin? She should be all done in the shower by now…" She was still in a fair amount of pain from the replacement she had a little more than three weeks ago, and standing at the counter cooking breakfast wasn't exactly lessening the pain.

"Okay…" Henry trotted off towards the bathroom. Knocking at the door, he called out for Sandy.

"Momma?"

Wrapping her towel tighter around her body, Sandy opened the bathroom door and saw Henry.

"What is it, chico?" She wondered what he needed that Kerry couldn't do for him.

"Mommy asked me to get her vico-, vica-" He answered, trying to push his words out.

"Vicodin?"

"Yeah! She asked me to get 'em." He replied.

"Okay…" Turning to the medicine cabinet she took out the white, plastic bottle. She knew Henry knew better than to put the capsules in his mouth or up his nose, but she still figured Kerry would flip a lid if she let him just carry two of them. "Here you go, mijo." She handed the bottle to him, sending him back to the kitchen.

"Here you go, mommy." Henry said, holding the bottle he carried in his little hands out to Kerry.

"Thank you, sweetie…now, you want to go to the table and eat?" Kerry thanked him, exchanging the bottle in his hands for his breakfast in hers. Henry nodded, took the plate, and went to the table. Turning back towards the counter, Kerry opened the bottle, slipped two capsules out and chased them down with her coffee. Placing her empty coffee mug in the sink, she grabbed her own plate and went to sit with Henry.

Once she finished up in the bathroom and had gotten dressed, Sandy joined her family in the warm kitchen. Taking a plate from the counter, Sandy sat next to Kerry who was taking part in a sporadic conversation with their son.

"Hip bothering you?" Sandy asked when Henry and Kerry's conversation had tapered off.

"Mhm." She answered without making any sort of eye contact, not particularly wanting to continue the conversation.

"Do you still want to go to my parents this afternoon?" Sandy had a feeling Kerry really didn't want to go to Christmas dinner to begin with and figured if her hip was bugging her, she  
would want to go even less.

"Of course I do. Besides, I'm sure Henry wants to see all his cousins, right Henry? You want to go see Rosalie, Anthony and Enrique?" Kerry answered, diverting the conversation again. Looking up from his breakfast, Henry smiled widely at the mention of his three cousins.

"Is baby Talia going to be there too?" Henry asked, speaking of Eduardo's family's newest addition; four month old Natalia.

Nodding a 'yes' to Henry, Sandy continued her conversation with Kerry.

"I know that you're just saying you want to go, even if you aren't up to it-" Sandy began before being cut off by Kerry,

"Sandy, I'm fine. I want to go, so do you and Henry. It's Christmas, for heaven's sake, we're not staying home just because of my hip." She said sternly, obviously peeved at Sandy's presumptuous insistency.

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry. Besides, we probably won't stay too late anyway, yeah?"

"Right." She finished. After a few moments of eating in silence, Henry spoke up.

"Mommy, can we play now?" He asked, pushing his plate out further in front of him, "I'm all done."

Kerry looked at Henry's plate, which had once held a pretty good-sized amount of scrambled eggs, toast, bacon and fruit. She smiled, _definitely Sandy's appetite_, she thought to herself. Looking down at her own plate, she figured she probably wouldn't be eating much more, and replied.

"You know what? Mommy's got to shower…but why don't you ask momma to play with you?" looking at Sandy who smiled to their son, she got up, grabbed her plate and put it in the sink, "I'll take care of dishes when I'm done." She called, heading down the hall.

Nodding in silent response to Kerry's statement, Sandy watched as she walked down the hall. Sighing briefly at Kerry's stubbornness, she turned back to Henry,

"So, chico, whatcha' want to play with?" Placing both their plates into the sink, Sandy took his outstretched hand and walked into the living room.

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more to come :)


	5. Alternative Methods

Still somewhat of a filler...more to come, soon :)

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After showering and getting dressed, a tiring, complex procedure in itself, Kerry retreated back to the living room where she found Sandy sitting on the couch and Henry playing on the floor. Sitting down next to Sandy, she addressed her fatigued body language,

"He wear you out or something?"

"Yeah, you could say that…couldn't sit on the ground much longer if I ever wanted to get up. I called my mom; she said everyone was going around two thirty and dinner's at three." Nodding, Kerry checked her watch; one thirty. Realizing it was later than she'd thought, Kerry got back up,

"Alright, Henry, how about we get you cleaned up and dressed? So then we can go see everyone, okay?" She asked, smiling to their son who was over-involved in whatever he was playing with on the floor. Looking up from his indulgence, Henry nodded in agreement and stood up. Standing up as well, Sandy addressed Kerry,

"You wanna' do dishes or get him ready?" Weighing her options, Kerry answered,

"I'll get him dressed…what time should we leave? Quarter past?"

"Sounds good to me." Sandy said, heading to the kitchen.

"Alright, buddy. Let's go get you dressed!" Kerry said, making her way to Henry's bedroom.

With her not being fully mobile, Kerry and Henry had created quite the intricate routines for getting simple tasks done, such as getting him dressed; they would get his clothes from his room, then head to her and Sandy's room where Henry would then climb on the bed where he was level with Kerry so she wouldn't have to bend down. It was elaborate, sure, but it got the task done.

Slipping a red under shirt over Henry's head, Kerry smiled at his loose, chocolate curls; _just like his mother's. _

"Henry Weaver-Lopez, you have the most beautiful curls I've ever seen on a little boy." She ruffled his curls lightly.

"You think sister will have curly hair?" His eyes lit up.

"I bet she will, Henry, just like you and momma;" She told him, slipping a brown sweater over his undershirt, "alright, let's get you washed up!" Sliding down from the bed, Henry padded off. Moving slowly, Kerry followed him to the bathroom, where she found him standing on the closed toilet seat waiting to have his face washed and teeth brushed; another method of getting things done in the Weaver-Lopez household.

Once Henry was ready, they retreated back to the living room where Sandy was ready to go, holding out Henry's jacket for him to slip into. Putting on her own jacket as well, Kerry opened the door of their town house and stepped out into the cold, holding the door for Sandy who was holding Henry on her hip.

"What, do you want to go into premature labor or something?" Kerry asked in all seriousness.

"Yeah, Kerry, that's exactly what I'm aiming for;" Sandy answered sarcastically, walking down the frosty steps carefully "You want him to slip on the ice, 'cause you're sure as he-" she let her sentence taper off knowing Kerry would be even more ticked off had she sworn in front of their son.

"Okay, just be careful, please..." Kerry said, her tone softer than before; more pleading than reprimanding.

"Back atcha'" Sandy, now nearing the car, said to Kerry who was still on the third step.

Soon, they were headed towards Sandy's parents house; what was in store, they weren't exactly sure.

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Chapter 6 soon

Hope everyone had a happy holiday :)


	6. Comfortable Conversation

Finally, I manage to write a real, full-size chapter :)

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The Lopez house was abuzz with family of all ages; a few infants and toddlers, multiple grade school-aged children, five or six teenagers, the Lopez children and their spouses, Florina and Jorge- the base of the bunch- as well as Florina's sisters- a group of four rather old, loving though a bit bigoted, women- and their spouses and children. On arrival, Henry quickly ran off to play with his adored cousins while Sandy and Kerry made their 'rounds'. Having had been with Sandy for what was pushing six years, Kerry felt that she was finally being accepted wholly into the Lopez clan. She wasn't sure if it was because they finally caught on that she wasn't going to be going anywhere or if it was because they genuinely liked her; either way, she was glad to be able to comfortably exchange warm 'hello's and make comfortable small talk. After quick salutations in the kitchen, where she left Sandy who was involved in a conversation with her mother, Kerry headed to the sitting room where she found three of Sandy's brothers- Miguel; 29, Eddie; 34 and Luis; 39- watching an NBA game between the Bulls and Celtics.

"Hey, Kerry, Merry Christmas!" Miguel said joyfully upon seeing her walk in. Standing, he embraced Kerry in a courteous but sincere hug, and pecked her on the cheek. Miguel was the youngest of the Lopez kids and was both Henry's favorite uncle and Kerry's favorite brother-in-law.

"Merry Christmas to you, too, Miguel- to all of you." Kerry said, adding the last part as she looked at the two others who smiled their 'hello's before redirecting their attention the television.

Sitting down in one of the nearby chairs, Kerry directed her attention towards the game as well while Miguel started conversation,

"So, how's the hip?" He asked her.

"Um…pretty good. I should be 100% on my feet in a week or so…not soon enough, but I'll take what I can get." She replied openly, before turning the conversation to his own injury, one he sustained in a recent fire, "How's the hand?" Holding his bandage left hand out in front of himself, as if to inspect it, Miguel smiled.

"Still there." He answered with a wink.

She flashed him a skeptical look, "Glad to hear that," then smiled; the smartass sense of humor- a Lopez family trait that she was very much accustomed to.

"I bet Henry's excited to be big brother? When's the baby going to get here, January?"

"Yep, January 15th," Kerry began with an even larger smile, "he's thrilled…I'm just not sure how pleased he'll be when she's actually here."

"Glad I never had to deal with that whole 'not-the-baby-anymore' thing," Miguel joked, shooting a glance at his two elder brothers, who looked at him cynically.

"Yeah, God knows you wouldn't have taken that well." Eddie teased. Kerry smiled; she loved the relationships the six siblings shared. Turning back to T.V., the four watched in relative silence for a while before Henry and Eddie's daughter, Rosalie, came trotting in.

"Aunta!" Rosalie skipped over to where Kerry was seated and opened her arms, looking for a hug. Returning the gesture, Kerry squeezed the toddler's tiny frame.

"Hi, Rosie." Kerry said into the little girl's curly hair. Mirroring Rosalie and Kerry's embrace, Henry ran to Miguel and put his arms out for a hug.

"Hi Uncle Miguel!" he said, pouncing onto his lap.

"Ay, chicito! How old are you now? Ten?" Miguel joked with his nephew.

"No! Silly, I'm three!" Henry held out his first three fingers to his uncle.

"Oh, oh, oh, that's right. But man, have you gotten big!" He played dumb, giving great pleasure to Henry.

"Ha, you can say that again," Kerry said wryly, "your sister insists on carrying him still; it's going to put her into premature labor, I swear." Kerry added light-heartedly. Soon after she and Sandy had discussed it on the front stairs of their house, Kerry dropped it, figuring that was one battle she wans't going to win. At that, Miguel smiled, as if to say 'That's Sandy.'

After visiting in the kitchen with her multiple aunts and uncles, Sandy was desperately looking for refuge. Walking into the living room, she saw a few of her brothers, Kerry, Henry as well as a few of her nieces and nephews all sitting and visiting. Plopping down on the couch next to Miguel, she sighed audibly.

"A word to the wise- never, ever leave your pregnant wives alone with any of those women, ever." She said sternly, directing her words towards her brothers before shooting a pissed off look at Kerry.

"They were that bad?" Kerry asked, secreting a smile. Sandy, who looked as if she had just been interrogated by policemen, only nodded gravely, causing Miguel and Eddie to break out in laughter. Sandy shot them another look, elbowing Miguel, before letting her own smile loose.

"See…those stinkin' hormones are messing you up, Lopez- you can't even stay mad at us." Eddie teased his younger sister.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Seriously, though, next time you knock Maria up don't even think about leaving her alone with those women- it was brutal. 'Oh, you're getting so big', 'Any names in mind?', 'When are you due, sweetheart?'" she fumed mockingly, "I'm surprised Rosario didn't ask me who the fuc-" she stopped to correct what would have been a foul mistake in a room of two year olds, "freakin' father is."

At that, Kerry only gave her a sympathetic nod while the three men snorted in agreement. She, as well as the three others, actually found the older ladies apparent bigoted questioning amusing, though they knew better than to rile Sandy up anymore than she already was. _Now that would put her into premature labor. _

Once Sandy had calmed down, the comfortable conversation continued between the five until Florina called out that it was time to eat. Making their way to the enormous dining room, Kerry pulled Sandy aside and gave her an apologetic kiss.

"I am sorry I left you with them." she smiled.

"'S'okay, just don't ever, ever do it again." Sandy said diffidently, returning the kiss with another. Grabbing Kerry's hand, they continued to the noisy, crowded dining room.

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Please, review and let me know what you think!

& a thank you to **weaver-riter**: your constant reviews and consistent publishing keep me motivated to keep up with you and keep writing! Thank You!


	7. Gracias

Another some-what real chapter.

Just a note: the Spanish prayer was translated through Bing Translator, lol..I can translate relatively well, but I didn't want to take a chance with his one. So, sorry to those of you who speak Spanish if it's totally butchered :P

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Saying that the Lopez dining room was over-inhabited was an understatement. The long, oak table designated for adults was the center of it all, with multiple folding chairs lining the walls for those who weren't as lucky to grab a seat at the table. The kitchen, where the food was set up buffet style, held three make-shift tables- 'the kid's tables' as they were infamously known as, even though they sat those aged anywhere under thirty.

Once she'd gotten in line for the buffet, Kerry had left Sandy's side to find Henry, who was seated deeper in the kitchen in-between Rosalie and five year old Enrique, Jose's youngest son. He had a plate of food in front of him and was gladly digging in.

"Hey bud, who got you that plate?" She had been with Sandy ever since Florina had announced dinner.

"Eva! Eva got me food, mommy." Henry smiled and pointed to one of Carlos' daughters sitting across from him.

"Thanks, Eva." Kerry smiled at the eighteen year old and nodded her head.

"No problem Kerry, I've got an eye on them…go ahead and enjoy dinner." She smiled back.

"Alright," turning her attention towards Henry, "be good for Eva, alright?" Henry nodded in response before turning back to his cousins. Kerry left the table and rejoined Sandy in the ever growing line for the buffet.

"Where's Henry?" Sandy asked upon Kerry's empty-handed arrival.

"With all his cousins…Eva got him a plate. He's all set." Kerry responded, taking a half step as the line trudged forward.

Soon enough, Kerry and Sandy had gotten their plates and were heading into the dining room. Surveying the seating, Kerry noted that they could either sit with Sandy's siblings and their spouses at one end- the option that would entail a more care-free environment- or at the other end with Sandy's aunts and uncles. Sandy quickly made the decision for them, and grabbed two seats near Luis and his wife Rosario, Eddie, Carlos and his wife Jennifer as well as a couple of their cousins. Kerry slowly lowered herself in the seat in between Sandy and Jennifer and soon struck conversation with the school teacher while they waited for Jorge to start saying Grace; it was customary for the adults to give thanks before eating in the Lopez household, though it wasn't expected of the children. Not far into Jennifer and Kerry's conversation on children who had been diagnosed with ADHD in her second grade class, Jorge stood at the end of what was now a full table and clinked his spoon against his glass, in hopes to get his companies attention.

Kerry had been to multiple Lopez gatherings before- however, none as large as this one- and was used to the ritual they performed before indulgence began. Bowing her head, her hand in Sandy's under the table, she listened to Jorge as he said the prayer,

"God of love, Father of all, the darkness that covered the earth has given way to the bright dawn of your Word made flesh. Make us a people of this light. Make us faithful to your Word, that we may bring your life to the waiting world. Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen."

then again as he repeated it in Spanish,

"Dios del amor, Padre de todos, la oscuridad que cubría la tierra ha dado forma al amanecer brillante de su palabra hizo carne. Nos hacen un pueblo de esta luz. Nos hacen fiel a su palabra, que nos podemos llevar su vida al mundo espera. Conceder este Cristo nuestro Señor. Amen."

After the echoed 'amen', the dining room's silence was obliterated by the bustle of chatter- both in Spanish and English- the clinks of forks hitting plates and the sound of water being poured into glasses. Taking it all in- the smiling faces, the laughs, the gleeful conversation- Kerry realized how little of this she'd had as a child and became conscious of just how lucky she was to have become a part of this family. Leaning over to Sandy, she turned as if to tell a secret, and instead planted a discrete kiss on her temple.

"What was that for?" She looked surprised, though not at all upset at Kerry's sudden display of affection.

"Thank you."

"Um…for what?" Sandy was wearing that skeptical face, looking at Kerry as if she'd gone off the deep end. Smiling, Kerry answered.

"For everything; for giving me our son- and soon to be our daughter- for bringing me into this family- for completing me. Just thank you." Sentimentality was one of Kerry's greatest- yet most annoying to Sandy- strengths.

Shooting Kerry another incredulous look, Sandy replied sardonically "Are your meds messin' you up or something? You didn't have any wine, did you?"

Kerry smirked at her wife's response, "No, I'm as lucid as can be. But really, Sandy, thank you." Kerry gave her one last loving smile, then turned back to her plate and continued eating and jumped back into conversation.

She'd meant what she'd said to Sandy: she considered herself one of the luckiest persons on earth to be blessed with a loving wife and son. They'd opened so many new doors in her life, and for that, she was eternally grateful.

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Working on Chapter 8...it'll probably be the last or second to last one for this story! Thank you for reading :)


	8. Heading Home

Enjoy, :)

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Once they'd had dinner, the company of Florina and Jorge made their way to the large main room, where the Christmas tree resided, and visited for a while longer. Kerry figured she'd better visit with Sandy's elders and did so- very, very briefly. Meeting back up with Sandy, who was playing with her nieces and nephews, Kerry noted the time.

"How are you holding up?" She asked, also noting Sandy's blank, tired expression. Sandy sighed and turned to answer.

"I'm beat, man; how about yourself?"

"I'm fine…you want to head out soon?" Sandy nodded a 'yes' without giving a specific time of departure.

Taking a seat on the edge of the room, Kerry looked on as Sandy teased and tickled her nieces and nephews. Kerry then directed her attention towards Henry, who was sitting off to the side. Pulling herself back up, she went over to her son.

"Sweetie, what's wrong?" She addressed his solemn, lethargic expression.

"I don't feel good…my belly hurts." He said wearily. Placing the back side of her hand on his forehead, Kerry felt his feverish skin.

"Does anything else hurt? Your throat?" Her doctoral instincts paired with her motherly passion kicked in.

"No, my belly." He said, giving her a saddened look- stabbing at her heart.

Seeing her wife and son in the corner, Sandy left her spot on the couch and walked over to them.

"Hey, mijo, what's wrong?" She knelt down at his side.

"His belly hurts and he's running a fever…I think we're getting out earlier than we planned." Kerry answered her, shrugging, "I'll go grab our coats and let your mom know we're leaving."

Walking out to the kitchen, Kerry found Florina at the sink, washing dishes.

"Hi Florina…looks like Henry's coming down with something, so we're going to head out. Thanks for dinner, it was fantastic." Kerry said before being embraced in an awkward hug.

"Okay, thank you for coming as always," Florina smiled weakly, "Are you staying home again this week or should I plan on coming over to watch him?" Kerry couldn't help but resent Florina's questioning.

"Yep, I'm not heading back to work for another week…" Kerry said, sounding a bit sharper than she'd meant, before turning around to leave, "but I'll be sure to call you if something changes. Thanks again, Florina…Merry Christmas."

Grabbing her, Sandy's and Henry's coats from the stairway railing, Kerry met up with an empty-handed Sandy in the hallway near the front door.

"Where's Henry?" She asked, scanning the narrow corridor.

"Miguel's going to carry him…for some reason he's got the notion stuck in his head that I shouldn't be picking him up? You got any idea who told him that?" Sandy knew it'd been Kerry who'd told him and sneakily enjoyed being able to tease her with something.

Kerry shrugged her shoulders, playing dumb, "Not a clue…but whoever did was right" she said with a wink. Before Sandy had time to make another smartass response, Miguel walked in with a very uncharacteristically lackluster Henry in his arms.

"You ready to go home, chico?" Sandy asked her son, draping his coat over his shoulders.

"You gotta' buy me dinner, first, Lopez." Miguel smiled, receiving a sharp elbow in the ribs from Sandy and an even sharper look from Kerry. Putting his left, free hand out in defense, he apologized,

"Sorry, sorry. You know I'm kidding;" he said before turning his attention towards Henry, "jeesh, mijo, your mommy's are a bit edgy, huh?" In return, he obtained only a weak shrug from the little boy and an even harsher look from Kerry.

"I think that's enough, Miguel." Sandy said tersely, opening the front door and heading out.

"I guess so." He said under his breath, pulling the coat closer to Henry's body. Holding the door, he let Kerry out before following.

After walking down the street Sandy unlocked the car and opened the back, left side door, allowing Miguel to slide Henry into his car seat. After buckling the multiple straps, Miguel rustled Henry's hair.

"Feel better, mijo." He pulled out of the car and gave hugs to both Kerry and Sandy.

"Thanks, Miguel." Kerry said, pulling away from his embrace and moving to her side of the car.

"No problema…take car of that hip," he said, looking to Kerry who nodded graciously, "and let me know when that little girl gets here, 'kay? " he then addressed Sandy who was sliding into the driver's seat.

"Yep… see ya' later." Shutting the door, Sandy smiled as his brother jogged back into the house, looking to escape the frigid, fifteen degree weather.

"He better find himself a girl soon; my mom's thinkin' that her last kid isn't going to get married in her lifetime." Sandy said, putting the heat on full blast.

"Eh, he'll find someone. I'm surprised he hasn't, yet…he's a nice enough kid, good sense of humor…not bad looking, either." Kerry replied truthfully- Miguel was the first of the Lopez's to actually accept her and Sandy's relationship with open arms and she quite liked him.

"Come on. Should I consider myself lucky that you found me before him or somethin'?" Sandy jeered.

"Hm…I don't think that you'd need to worry had I met him first: I'm not into younger guys;" Kerry winked before directing her attention towards the fact that Sandy was still waiting for the car to heat up "I think it's warm enough in here…let's get him home."

Sandy smirked and shifted out of park, taking off towards home.

* * *

Chapter 9 soon, then probably one more and that'll be it!


	9. You're Welcome

Short ending.

* * *

After a dose of Tylenol and a quick bedtime story- which he insisted on only out of comfort- Henry was sound asleep in bed. After taking care of their son, Kerry and Sandy skipped their standard routine of relaxing in the living room and instead went straight to their bedroom; both of them more worn-out than they had thought. They wearily disrobed- Kerry exchanging her day clothes for warm, flannel pajamas while Sandy shed her jeans and sweater for more comfortable sweatpants and tee shirt- then climbed into bed. Kerry was turning to take her glasses off when Sandy stopped her, gently holding her shoulder down against the mattress.

"What were you talking about earlier; when you were thanking me at dinner? You sounded like you were trippin' or something." She gave Kerry a wondering look- genuinly curious, dispite her joking- obviously wanting an answer. Kerry smiled and turned to face her wholly. Running her hand through Sandy's thick hair, she responded.

"I was just saying thank you. You know tonight at dinner, I realized how lucky I am to be with you and to have Henry. I know your family doesn't always…" she paused, searching for a suitable word, "…agree with our lifestyle, but they are fantastic people. So, thank you, Sandy." She wasn't embarrassed by her wording, yet Kerry still blushed- she figured it was more out of passion than awkwardness. In response, Sandy leaned closer into  
Kerry and kissed her lightly on the lips.

"You're welcome." She said, pulling away. Turning over, she turned off her own bedside lamp and made herself comfortable. Removing her glasses, Kerry too shut off her bedside lamp and settled in. Staring at the ceiling- as she often did when her mind was running- Kerry ran through that year's Christmas: her son's excitement turned sudden ailment, Sandy's family, Sandy herself. She smiled when it hit her that next Christmas they would no longer be a family of three; they'd be celebrating the holiday with their daughter as well; yet another new chapter. Willing herself to not over stimulate her mind- she was hoping to receive a full night's sleep- Kerry shut her eyes, a smile still strewn across her face, and soon fell asleep.

* * *

Epilogue will be the next and last chapter.


	10. A Year Later: Epilogue

Epilogue...Christmas a year later for the Weaver-Lopez family. Sofia is almost a year old :)

Thank you to **weaver-riter** for motivating me to finish this thing!

* * *

"Mommy…Sofie is calling for you. She wants to go do presents, I think!" Henry had quietly let himself in his parent's bedroom when he realized that his sister's quiet yet annoying requests wouldn't stop without intervention. Standing near Kerry, he waited for a response.

Turning over, Kerry slowly opened her eyes to see Henry staring back at her. She took a second to let everything register, and quickly realized it was Christmas morning. Still silent, she fumbled with her glasses then checked the clock: six forty five.

"Mm…buddy, Merry Christmas," she planted a kiss on her son's forehead before turning to get out of bed, "Okay, let's go see what your sister wants…"

Kerry was greeted upon walking into the nursery by big, shining brown eyes and an even bigger smile on her daughter's petite face.

"Good morning, sweetie," Kerry picked her up from where she was standing in her crib and held her on her hip, "is Henry right? Do you want to go open presents?" Sofia's loose, caramel curls bounced as she nodded vigorously in response.

"Alright, let's go get momma." She said with a laugh, following Henry back towards her bedroom.

Kerry stepped into her bedroom and found Sandy, hair eccentrically strewn across the white sheets, still sound asleep. Henry, wasting no time waking her up, swiftly hopped onto the bed and began to relentlessly poke Sandy.

"Momma…wake up!" He unsuccessfully tried to wake her before Kerry intervened. Kneeling down on Sandy's side of the bed, Kerry leaned in and whispered gently into her ear. To Henry's pleasant dismay, Sandy opened her eyes and smiled.

"Mommy, how'd you do that when momma wouldn't wake up when I tried?" Henry was puzzled by his mother's ability but received only a secretive smile from Kerry.

"Good morning, mija," Sandy said, kissing Sofie on the forehead, "and mijo." she added, ruffling Henry's hair. Slipping out of bed, Sandy took Henry's extended hand as Kerry still held Sofie on her hip, and together, they made their way out into the festively lit living room to enjoy their first Christmas together as a family of four.

* * *

started: 12/19/09

finished: 12/29/09


End file.
